Trading methods have evolved from a manually intensive process to a technology enabled, electronic platform. With the advent of electronic trading, a user or trader can be in virtually direct contact with the market, from practically anywhere in the world, performing near real-time transactions.
Electronic trading is generally based on a host exchange, one or more computer networks, and client devices. In general, the host exchange includes one or more centralized computers to form the electronic heart. Its operations typically include maintaining an exchange order book that records unexecuted orders, order matching, providing price and order fill information, and managing and updating a database that records such information. The host exchange is also equipped with an external interface that maintains uninterrupted contact to the client devices and possibly other trading-related systems.
Using client devices, traders link to the host exchange through one or more networks to trade tradeable objects. As used herein, the term “tradeable object” refers to anything that can be traded with a quantity and/or price. It includes, but is not limited to, all types of traded events, goods and/or financial products, which can include, for example, stocks, options, bonds, futures, currency, and warrants, as well as funds, derivatives and collections of the foregoing, and all types of commodities, such as grains, energy, and metals. The tradeable object may be “real,” such as products that are listed by an exchange for trading, or “synthetic,” such as a combination of real products that is created by the user. A tradeable object could actually be a combination of other tradeable objects, such as a class of tradeable objects.
A client device is a computer such as a personal computer, laptop computer, hand-held computer, cell phone, personal digital assistant (“PDA”), or some other screen-based user interaction device that has network access. A network is a group of two or more computers or devices linked together in any fashion, which may be characterized by topology, protocol, and architecture. For example, some market participants may link to the host through a direct network connection such as a T1 or ISDN. Some participants may link to the host exchange through direct network connections and through other common network components such as high-speed servers, routers, and gateways that allow a trader to connect to an electronic exchange The Internet, a well-known collection of networks and gateways, can be used to establish a connection between the client device and the host exchange. There are many different types of wired and wireless networks and combinations of network types known in the art that can link traders to the host exchange.
Sometimes, on their machines, traders use automated or semi-automated trading tools, collectively hereinafter referred to as automated tools, that automatically or semi-automatically send orders for tradeable objects to the exchange. Many different trading tools are usually provided to, among other things, facilitate fast and accurate order entry. For instance, an automated or semi-automated tool might quickly calculate one or more order parameters, such as order price or order quantity, based on market conditions, or some other reference condition, and then automatically send an order with these parameters to an exchange for matching.
In addition to trading individual tradeable objects, many traders are involved in executing trading strategies that require constant tracking of a large number of individual tradeable objects. Such traders often view the status and market conditions of each tradeable object of interest on individual graphical interfaces that are used for trading each tradeable object. Typical trading interfaces present the status of each tradeable object in a line of numeric data fields covering key variables relevant to trading, such as price, quantity available at each price, the level of inside market, and others. The use of multiple interfaces of this type may be burdensome to a trader who needs to accurately and fast view critical changes in the market conditions of a large number of tradeable objects. More specifically, using a large number of user interfaces or display screens that take up too much space on a trader's screen and don't provide easily detectable changes in market conditions corresponding to the tradeable objects may require high levels of visual scanning and extensive mental numeric calculations on a real time basis. Additionally, when a trader uses a plurality of interfaces to execute trading strategies based on a large number of tradeable objects, it may be difficult and time consuming to monitor status and relative positions of working orders and net positions for each tradeable object.
While many trading platforms allow a trader to enter orders directly through a trading interface, some traders may still enter orders through an interaction with a pre-coded order entry window, often referred to as an “order entry ticket.” These individual interface screens are generally hard-coded in standard interface configurations and can only be manipulated to the extent that the underlying window control functions only allow basic functions, such as simple resizing of the “order entry ticket.” While a trader could configure individual settings within an order entry ticket, such as a default price or quantity, the trader has no control related to the overall physical layout of the major controls of the order entry ticket itself.
To profit in electronic markets, market participants must be able to assimilate large amounts of data in order to recognize market trends, view current market conditions, and quickly enter, cancel, update, and modify orders. Thus, it is desirable to offer tools and trading interfaces that can assist a trader in trading in electronic trading environments, and are flexible enough to meet different traders' trading objectives as well as their individual trading styles.